Work related stress - Does it really exist ?

Its an unfortunate fact that more and more of us are becoming the victims of imposed stress as organisations fight to survive. In present times, just as in the early 1990s, many companies have slashed costs and down-sized, leaving fewer people with far more work. Such a climate has helped promote a culture of “presenteeism”, making employees feel that being at work from very early to very late shows more loyalty and commitment to the organisation - all in the vain hope they will be the last to be given the chop in the next wave of redundancies.

Working patterns are also changing, short-term contracts and part-time working have grown rapidly. Such a climate of uncertainty has led to stress litigation in this country becoming an ever-present reality.

Though the whole tribunal process is under review, employers should concentrate on measures that can help avoid any further rise in stress-related litigation. The prevention of all workplace stress is an unreasonable ideal but there are measures that employers can take to help employees cope with the new pressures of the 21st century workplace.

First, employers really need some form of risk assessment as a precondition to taking the necessary steps to satisfy their duty of care to employees. A good starting point is for employers to acquaint themselves with material such as the Health and Safety Executive guidelines which offer information about about the common sources of stress and how stress manifests itself in the workplace.

Other organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development have produced useful guidance material along the same lines. A stress audit may help to diagnose any potential problems. This usually takes the form of a self-report questionnaire administered to employees on an organisation-wide or departmental basis to identify the sources of stress at work and those employees most at risk of suffering stress-related illness.

Finally, organisations should commit themselves to developing the kind of culture where stress is recognised as a feature of modern industrial life and not interpreted as a sign of weakness or incompetence. Such commitment must be driven from the top of the organisation as well as through line managers and the HR department. Workplace stress is a growing problem and the costs of ignoring it are too high.

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